Seminar Season, Spring 2008

The seminar season has slowed down a little bit, so here are some notes
and pointers to photographs and videos for everyone to check out.

First, the U. Guelph spring
seminar for iaido and jodo.

The seminar information can be found here: http://seidokai.ca/iai.seminar.html
We had a record turnout for our 6 instructors from Japan (and our home
grown folks too) and full days for both iaido and jodo practice. The
seminar included lots of training, gradings in both iai and jo,
demonstrations by all the students and of course by the sensei as well
as our usual fun things like the auction. This year we had an impromptu
movie evening which we may add to next year's schedule since it was a
big hit.

Mr. Kevin Lee was kind enough to grab some shots of the seminar and you
can click
to see them here. I include a few here with the comments that
popped into my head when I saw them.

Did I turn the lights off this morning?

Yes I have your money. No you're not getting a refund.

How to translate "watching".

Little did Ron know that David had spotted his arch enemy. "Why is he
reaching for his blade" he thought.

What do you think?

Now what? How many times do I have to....

You are SO going to pay for that

Many thanks to all the instructors and students who make this seminar
such a success each year.

On June 5 and 6 I attended the AUSKF National Iaido seminar.

Photo by Dennis Ralutin

Had a great time at the seminar with Yamazaki hanshi and Saiki hanshi.
That's me in the background trying to hear the translation. There were
some interesting acoustics in the Bryn Mawr gym due to that wonderful
multi-curved roof.

Pam Morgan and I drove 10 hours down to Bryn Mawr and stayed for the
two days of instruction, then headed home while the national
championships (Saturday) and the gradings (today) were happening.
Yamazaki sensei had the 3dan and up class for the first day and a half
and concentrated for the first part on kihon. The second part was a
run-through of seitei and demonstrations by the various levels from
6-7dan to 3rd with comments on levels and technique. I thought it was
dead on to be doing so much kihon in a senior class. It tends to be
what you need as you go up in experience.

Yamazaki s. also spent some time with the entire group explaining the
difference between kata as mould or shape/container and kata which
contained life. The next AUSKF seminar will be in June 2009 in Boise
Idaho, I recommend heading there if you are curious about the lecture
and they bring Yamazaki sensei back.

Yamazaki sensei: photo by Dennis
Ralutin

The Friday afternoon class was given over to a referee's seminar with
Saiki sensei and he gave a thorough overview of proceedure along with
some comments on judging to levels, and of course, judging fairly.

Saiki sensei: photo by Dennis Ralutin

Pam was in the junior class and was full of praise for Saiki sensei's
instruction, and then exhausted enough to sleep through most of
Pennsylvania on the way back home after Yamazaki sensei's kihon class
on the final afternoon.

I'd like to thank John and Sachiko Prough for their organization of the
seminar, all their helpers, and the AUSKF sensei who were very kind to
us.